Fabric covered slide buckle



S. LERMA FABRIC COVERED SLIDE BUCKLE March 26, 1935. 7

Filed Aug. 15, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.3

5 TEPHE/V LERMA INVENTOR.

' ATTORNEY MarchZG, 1935. s A 1,995,713

FABRIC COVERED SLIDE BUCKLE Filed Aug. 15, 1.954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 STEPHEN L ERMA INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 26, 1935 PATENT OFFICE FABRIC COVERED SLIDE BUCKLE Stephen Lerma, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application August 13,

12 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in buckles, and particularly to fabric covered hollow sheet metal buckles for garment ornamentation.

An object of this invention is to provide a tongueless buckle of simple construction by means of which the length of a garment belt may be quickly adjusted and which will maintain its adjustment by frictional engagement without piercing the belt.-

Another object of this invention is to provide a hollow fabric covered slide buckle made of two dished plates, the said buckle having two apertures, a'stiffening cross-bar and two belt-engaging cross-bars clamped between the plates inside the boundaries of said apertures and close to the oppositebelt-engaging end walls of the said apertures.

Another object of this invention is to provide a hollow. fabric covered slide buckle having a hollow stiffening cross-bar and two solid belten'gaging cross-bars clamped between the front and rear faces of the buckle and in offset relation with the rear face of the buckle.

Another object of this invention is to provide a hollow buckle made of two dished and apertured plates of sheet'metal, each of said plates having a base and flanges extending at right angles to said base and around the outerperiphery' and apertures thereof, the flanges around the apertures being slotted to receive and permit two solid belt-engaging cross-bars to lie close to the belt-engaging walls of said apertures. 5

7 Another object ofthis invention is to provide a composite slide buckle made of two dished plates and an open frame secured between said plates, the said frame providing two integral belt-engaging cross-bars and being designed to absorb the oppositely directed forces transmitted -by both ends of the belt to said bars without stressing the plates of the buckle.

Another object of this invention is to augment the gripping power of the belt-engaging crossbars.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention will be hereinafter more particularly described, and the combination and arrangement of parts will be shown in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims which form part of this specification. A

Reference will now be had to the drawings, wherein like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan'view of an assembled buckle 1934, Serial No. 739,618 01. 24-463) made of two dished plates and having two adjacent apertures and a hollow cross-bar positioned in central relation and integral with at least one of said plates, and two solid cross-bars clamped between the'plates and positioned close to'the end walls of said apertures.

Figure 2 is a view inside front plate removed. 1

Figure 3 is a top view of the assembled buckle. Figure 4 is a sectional View of the rear plate of the buckle, the section being taken as on line 44 in Figure 2. V

Figure 5.is an enlarged fragmentary portion of an assembled slide-buckle.

Figure 6 is a sectional View of the rear plate of the buckle, the section being taken as on line 6-6 in Figure 2.

Figure '7 is a perspective view illustrating the application of the slide buckle in connection with a belt. V

Figure 8 is a sectional view of the rear plate of the buckle, with the solid cross-bars removed, the section corresponding to Figure 4.

Figure 9 is a sectional view of the front plate of the buckle with the solid cross-bars removed, the section corresponding to Figure 5.

Figure 10 is a view inside the buckle with the front plate removed and showing two separate or disunited belt-engaging cross-bars.

Figure 11 is an enlarged view of the buckle covered with fabric on the front plate.

Figure 12 is a view inside a modified buckle of reduced length and without any stiffening cross-bar.

Figure 13 is a sectional view of the rear plate of the buckle shown in Figure 12, the section being taken as on line 13-13.

Figures 14 and 15 show views of modified crossbars.

the buckle with the I In the illustrated embodiment of the invention,

Figures 1 to 6 inclusive show an assembled slide buckle 10, having a dished front plate member 11, providing an integral hollow stiffening cross-bar member 12, an open frame 13 providing two solid belt-engaging cross-bars l4 and 15 and a dished rear plate member 17 providing an integral hollow stiffening cross-bar member 18.

, As best shown in Figure 5, the front plate memberll is provided with two adjacent apertures 19 and 20 separated and defined by the crossbar member 12. The front plate 12 comprises a base 21, a flange 22 extending all around the outer periphery and flanges 23 and 24 respectively extending all around the apertures 19 and 20. The rear plate member 1'7 is provided with two adjacent apertures and 26 separated and defined by the cross-bar member 18. The rear plate 17 comprises a base 27, and a flange 28 extending all around the outer periphery and flanges 29 and 30 respectively extending all around the apertures 25 and 26. The flanges 22, 23, and 24 of the front plate 11 extend at right-angles to the base 21 and the flanges 28, 29 and 30 of the rear plate 17 extend at right-angles to the base 27. The flanges of the front plate member 11 are slightly larger than the flanges of the rear-plate member 17 so as to permit assembling of the said plates into interengaging buckle making relationship with the flanges in nested and laterally overlapping relation.

As shown in Figure 8, the flanges 29 and 30 extending around the apertures 25 and 26 in the rear plate member 17, have rectangular slots 31 and 32 designed to receive the solid rectangular cross-bars 14 and 15 of the open frame 13. As shown in Figure 9, the flanges 23 and 24 extending around the apertures 19 and 20 in the front plate member 11 have slots 33 and 34 designed to receive the solid rectangular cross-bars 14 and 15 and permit the sides 16 of the open frame 13 to be housed in the hollow body of the buckle 10.

As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the solid crossbars 14 and 15 are offset fromthe rear face and substantially in alinement with the front face of the buckle. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the solid cross-bars have inwardly curved recesses 35 to facilitate the insertion of the ends of a belt between said cross-bars and the belt-engaging inner end walls 36 of the buckle.

The open frame 13, best shown in Figure 2, provides two belt-engaging cross-bars 14 and 15 that are integrally connected and when in service position in the buckle, function so that the oppositely directed forces transmitted by both ends of the belt to the cross-bars are absorbed by the side members 16 without stressing the plates of the buckle. Figure 10 shows a modified construction of the buckle 10, wherein the rear plate member 17 carries two separate or disunited cross-bars 3'7 and 38 mounted in the slots of the flanges 29 and 30. In this construction, the belt pull or stress in the separate cross-bars is transmitted directly to the body of the buckle.

For purposes of ornamentation the slide buckles may be covered on one or both sides with a covering of fabric 39 shown in Figure 11, where the fabric covering is shown stretched over the outer surface of the front plate member 11.

As shown in Figure 11, the rear plate member 17 has been beveled at 40 to provide a gradual slope for the folded belt and to permit the belt to lay flat against the body of the person wearing same. Buckles for garment ornamentation are generally of large size and of considerable length as shown in Figures 10 and 11. When the beltengaging cross-bars 37 and 38 are pulled in opposite directions by the ends of the belt, there is a tendency to spread apart the front and rear plate members 11 and 17 in a lateral direction. The integral cross-bar 18 is thus necessary in order to produce a stiffening effect serving to maintain the front and rear plate members in assembled relation under severe operating conditions.

As shown in Figure 12, which shows a buckle 41 of small length, it will be seen that the stiffening cross-bar has been omitted. The crossbars 42, 43, in the buckle 41 have been curved in a lateral direction so as to contact the belt at two sharp edges and thus augment the gripping power of said bars. Figure 14 shows a cross-bar 44 provided with teeth 46 on the belt-engaging edge which may be used to augment the gripping power and Figure 15 shows a cross-bar 47 having lateral projections or prongs 48 which may be used to further augment the gripping power of the belt-engaging cross-bars.

Figure 11 clearly shows how the free ends of the belt 45 are placed in looped frictional engagement in the buckle. To release the belt, the end of the buckle at the end to be released is grasped and tilted away from the belt.

It is to be noted that the flanges 23, 24, of the stiffening cross-bar member 12, and the flanges 29, 30, of the stiffening cross-bar member 18 form lateral extensions which constitute a reinforcement for the stiffening cross-bar members which stiffen the cross-bar members against strain due to bending.

It will thus be noted that there has been provided a hollow .and composite fabric covered slide buckle which will hold both ends of a looped belt in frictional engagement and without any perforations in the belt.

It is also to be noted that the lateral flanges of the fabric covered slide buckles must be of considerable depth in order to be adapted for clamping the covering fabric between them; in practice it is necessary to make the depth of the flanges more than one-sixteenth of an inch. In the manufacture of fabric covered slide buckles as herein described, it is necessary to limit the width of the belt-engaging slots 49 to about onesixteenth of an inch, depending on the thickness of the covering material, so as to secure maximum frictional engaging pressure on the belt. If it were attempted to make the belt-engaging crossbars hollow and integral with the plates of the buckle it would not be possible to punch out two one-sixteenth inch flanges and have a one-sixteenth inch slot between the flanges after bending them in a lateral direction, because the resulting slot will always be at least equal to the height of the two flanges or about one-eighth of an inch. To satisfy the governing conditions of smallest possible width of slot and maximum possible depth of flanges, it is necessary to make the buckle composite and to provide belt-engaging cross-bars separate from the body of the buckle as shown herein.

I claim:

1. Acomposite slide buckle comprising a hollow closed frame body composed of two dished plates each having flanges at right-angles thereto, the flanges of one plate being disposed in nested relation with the flanges of the other plate, each of said plates having opening means and an integral stiffening cross-bar, and a frame having two belt-engaging cross-bars secured between said plates and across said opening means.

2. A composite slide buckle comprising a hollow closed frame body composed of two dished plates each having flanges at right-angles thereto the flanges of one plate being disposed in nested relation with the flanges of the other plate, each of said plates having two apertures separated and defined by an integral stiffening crossbar, and a rectangular frame having two solid belt-engaging cross-bars secured between said plates and across said apertures.

3. A composite slide buckle comprising a hollow closed frame body composed of two dished plates each having flanges at right-angles thereto, the flanges of one plate being disposed in nested relation with the flanges of the other plate, each of said plates having two apertures separated anddefined by an integral stiffening crossbar and belt-engaging walls, and a rectangular frame having two solid belt-engaging cross-bars housed in fixed relation-in the body of said'buckle and said belt-engaging--cross-bars--being positioned in close relation with the belt-engaging walls defining the apertures of said buckle and across said apertures.

4. A composite slide buckle comprising a hollow closed frame body composed of two dished plates each having flanges at right-angles thereto, the flanges of one plate being disposed in nested relation with the flanges of the other plate, each of said plates having two apertures separated and defined by an integral stiffening cross-bar and belt-engaging walls, and a rectangular frame having two solid belt-engaging cross-bars housed in clamped relation between the body plates of said buckle and said beltengaging cross-bars being positioned in close relation with the belt-engaging walls of said buckle and being offset from the rear face and substantially in alinement with the front face of said buckle.

5. A slide buckle having a hollow body formed of two dished plates of sheet metal secured together at their peripheries in substantially parallel spaced relation, said buckle having two solid belt-engaging cross-bars clamped between said plates, each of said plates having two apertures separated and defined by an integral stiffening cross-bar member and belt engaging walls, said cross-bar member being of hollow rectangular ross section, each of said plates having a base and flanges extending substantially at right-angles to said base and substantially around the outer periphery and apertures thereof, the flanges extending around said apertures being slotted to receive portions of said solid belt-engaging cross-bars to be clamped between said plates and in close relation with the belt-engaging walls defining the apertures of said buckle.

6. A slide buckle having a hollow body formed of two dished plates of sheet metal secured together at their peripheries in substantially par allel spaced relation, said buckle having two solid belt-engaging cross-bars clamped between said plates, each of said plates having two apertures separated and defined by an integral stiffening cross-bar member and belt engaging walls, said cross-bar member being of hollow cross-section, each of said plates having a base and flanges extending substantially at right-angles to said base and substantially around the outer periphcry and apertures thereof, the flanges extending around said apertures being slotted to receive portions of said belt-engaging cross-bars to be clamped between said plates and in close relation with the belt-engaging walls defining the apertures of said buckle, said belt-engaging cross-bars being offset from the rear face and substantially in alinement with the front face of said buckle.

7. A slide buckle comprising a hollow closed frame body composed of two dished plates each having flanges at right-angles thereto, the flanges of one plate being disposed in nested relation with the fiangescf the other plate, each of said plates having two apertures separated and defined by an integral stiffening cross-bar and belt engaging walls, and two belt-engaging cross-bars having their ends clamped in the body of said buckle and positioned in close relation withthe belt-engaging walls defining the apertures of said buckle and across said apertures.

8. Aslide buckle comprising a hollow closed frame body composed of two dished plates each having flanges at right-angles thereto, the

flanges of one plate bein disposed in nested relation with the flanges of the other plate, each of said plates having opening means and a frame clamped in the body of the buckle and having two belt-engaging cross-bars operatively positioned in said opening means.

9. A fabric covered hollow slide buckle comprising two apertured plates each having a base and flanges at right-angles thereto, fabric covering stretched over at least one of said bases and the flanges thereof, the flanges on one plate being disposed in nested relationship with and spaced from the corresponding flanges on the other plate so as to permit the fabric covering of the buckle to be inserted and clamped therebetween, said fabric covering being clamped by said flanges throughout substantially the entire area of said fabric which is located between said flanges, the flanges on said plates surrounding the outer peripheries and apertures thereof and forming belt engaging walls, said buckle having stiffening cross-bar means integral with at least one of said plates, said cross-bar means having integral lateral extensions which constituteareenforcement for said cross-bar means, and two belt-engaging cross-bars clamped in the body of said buckle and positioned in close relation with the belt-engaging walls of said buckle.

10. A slide buckle comprising a hollow closed frame body composed of two dished plates each having flanges at right-angles thereto, the flanges of one plate being disposed in nested relation with the flanges of the other plate, each of said plates having opening means, the flanges on said plates at opposite edges of said opening means forming belt-engaging walls, and two belt-engaging cross-bars having their end portions clamped between the body plates of the buckle and operatively positioned in said opening means, in close relation with the belt-engaging walls so as to grip a belt therebetween, said cross bars having recess means and being positioned in non-central relation with said opening means and completely exposed in said opening means.

11. A slide buckle comprising a hollow closed frame body composed of two-dished plates each having flanges at right-angles thereto, the flanges of one plate being disposed in nested relation with the flanges of the other plate, each of said plates having opening means, the flanges on said plates at opposite edges of said opening means forming belt-engaging walls, and two belt-engaging cross-bars having their end portions clamped between the body plates of the buckle and operatively positioned in said opening means, in close relation with the belt-en gaging walls so as to grip a belt therebetween, said cross-bars having recess means and being positioned in non-central relation with said opening means and completely exposed in said opening means and said cross-bars having prong means extending therefrom to augment the beltengaging power of said bars.

12. A fabric covered hollow slide buckle comprising two apertured plates each having a base and flanges at right-angles thereto, fabric covering stretched over at least one of said bases and the flanges thereof, the flanges on one plate being disposed in nested relationship with and spaced from the corresponding flanges on the other plate so as to permit the fabric covering of the buckle to be inserted and clamped therebetween, said fabric covering being clamped by said flanges throughout substantially the entire area of said fabric which is located between said flanges, the flanges on said plates surrounding the outer peripheries and apertures thereof and forming belt engaging walls, and two belt-em gaging cross-bars having their end portions clamped between the body plates of said buckle and positioned in close relation with the beltengaging walls of said buckle so as to grip a belt therebetween, said cross-bars having recess means and being positioned in non-central relation with said apertures and completely exposed in said apertures.

' STEPHEN LERMA. 

